Terry McMillan Talks About Life With A Man On the Down Low

Posted on August 15, 2005

Terry McMillan, author of The Interruption of Everything (Viking) talked to Newsweek about how her nasty divorce proceedings have affected her writing. As you probably know by now, McMillan is in the midst of a nasty divorce from the younger man who was inspiration for her bestselling novel How Stella Got Her Groove Back. Her husband gained U.S. citizenship by marrying her, but turned out to be "on the down low." He also wants a chunk of her fortune.

Terry McMillan: That's why my novel was late. He kept me distracted in hopes he could break me down. That was until the night I said, "Why don't you tell the truth about something for a change?" And he said, "You couldn't handle it." And I said, "Try me." And he said, "I'm confused about my sexuality." And I said, "What!" And he said, "I think I might be gay. No, I am gay. I am gay." I had a halogen lamp right near the chair where I read, and I said, "I would like to take this lamp and whop your face. But you know what, I'm not going to because you finally told the truth about something. And look what it turned out to be."
Newsweek: Wow. That sounds like a passage right out of one of your novels.
Terry McMillan: He's a sociopath, a covetous sociopath. Think of Scott Peterson without the murder. That is how sociopaths are. They woo you, and they can convince you of anything. I couldn't put a finger on what he was doing. He cheated, lied and betrayed me. And when I complain about this, he calls me a homophobe.

"Scott Peterson without the murder": the woman does have a way with words.